The Reuters/Ipsos poll was carried out from 19 April to 16 May and, although it found that 10% of adults are using e-cigs, 47% of the surveyed believe vaping isn’t safer than traditional smoking and only 38% felt that way a year ago.

43% said they don’t think vaping can help people quit smoking and only 39% felt that way previously. 66% said that vaping is addictive compared to 61% in 2015, and 49% believe that second-hand vaping was similar to second-hand smoking, whereas only 41% believe that last year. This is in spite of the fact that a recent study found that e-cigs doesn’t harm bystanders.

E-cigarette sales in the US have rapidly grown over the last ten years, and it is expected to reach $4.1 billion in 2016. However, sales have slipped 6% since the first quarter of the year.

Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, is a long-term advocator of e-cigs, is unhappy that negative publicity has altered the public perception of e-cigarettes.